Nov. 2, 2010
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State defender Haley Palmer has been named Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, the league announced Tuesday night. Palmer, along with Michaela DeJesus, Megan McQueeny, Soledad Gomez and Aubree Southwick, also earned a spot on the all-MWC squad.
Hailing from Windsor, Calif., Palmer becomes the third Aztec to be voted by the league's coaches as the conference's top freshman and first since 2007. Teammate Aubree Southwick won the award in 2007 as did Kim Castellanos in 2000. The freshman started all seven MWC games and had a team- and Mountain West-best four assists, while drawing a majority of SDSU corner kick and free kick assignments. Defensively, Palmer was a part of a backline that helped record four shutouts, including three in the Aztecs final four outings, and allowed a total of four goals overall. It was this type of effort that also garnered her all-Mountain West Conference second-team accolades.
A senior, DeJesus is making her debut on the all-MWC list by being voted to the first team. The midfielder finished with five points, which ranks second on the squad and tied for sixth in the league, while starting all seven ballgames. The Dublin, Calif., native scored one goal, the game-winner at Utah, and had three assists, two of which were on the game-winning goal. Her three assists put her in a four-way tie for third at season's end.
For the second straight season, McQueeny earned a spot on the all-league first team after teaming with Palmer on the backline. The sophomore started every Mountain West game this season, including 59 of 60 career games, and finished with one assist, while allowing opponents to put just 33.7 percent of its shots on goal. McQueeny joins Cat Walker (2008-09), Solovij (2003-05) and Castellanos (2000-02) as the only players in school history to be named to the all-MWC first team in consecutive seasons.
Behind Palmer and McQueeny is Southwick in net and the goalkeeper was selected to the all-MWC second team for the second straight season and earned all-league honors for the third time in her career. The all-time Mountain West career saves leader held opponents to just 0.57 goals per game and finished with a goals-against average of 0.72, which was the third-best average in the conference. Southwick also posted two shutouts to rank second in the Mountain West and made just 17 saves as a result of the Aztecs' stellar defense in front of her.
Joining Palmer and Southwick on the second team is Gomez, a freshman from Vista, Calif. The forward led the team in goals (3) and points (6) during the conference season, while also leading the squad with two game-winning goals. She finished the season tied for first in game-winners, tied for third in goals and tied for fourth in points. Gomez only had three shots on goal, but made the most of her opportunities as she found the back of the net each time.
San Diego State, along with BYU, had a Mountain West-best five all-conference selections. The five honorees match the program record for most all-league picks in a single season, tying the 1999 squad.
Mountain West Conference Honorees
First Team
Michaela DeJesus
Megan McQueeny
Second Team
Soledad Gomez
Haley Palmer
Aubree Southwick
Freshman of the Year: Haley Palmer